The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-10-01
Editnrtal Sriets.
BY REV. I. M. ATWOOD, D. D.
Canton. N Y.

Ldullldr anu penetrating RnOWl6OR6 OI
the class he was advising: "Consider that
a young man has no mears OF becoming
independent of the society about him. It
you wish to exercise influence hereafter,
begin by distinguishing yourself in the
regular way, not by seeming to prefer
separate way of your own" Not few
young men are carried away with the
conceit that they can distinguish them
selves by having a separate way of their
owp. They do, indeed, distinguish them
selves. But the distinc ton they win is
lifelong impediment to their usefulness,
and in the same measure to their happi-
ness.
1T has been said often and must be
sadly repeated, that there are as many
shirkers as workers. We find it difficult
to suppre ss indignation when we observe
on how few shoulders, comparatively;
rest the burdens of responsibility and
expense in most of our church work
Everywhere we hear, 80 there are Univer-
salists enough in this place to fill two
SUSI ChuIShCE' 11uI diO "llllhE
to have handful of faithful ones strug-
gle and sacrifice and only half succeed.
Perhaps the most practical question to
which our Conventions, now in session or
about to meet, can address themselves
is, How to turn the shirkers into workers
That Nihilism and Tostoi are i'll
some sense the product of a "pro-
found religious movement" i'll Russia
does not seem so incredible as that it is
religious movement "among educated
Russians" The study of Russians and
Russian literature is now quite the fash
ion. One result of it, let us hope, will
be, to clear up to the mind of a foreign
or the apparently irreconcilable contra
dictiops of Russian politics and Rus
sian social life. Perhaps we shall then
see how it is that educated Russians"
are the authors of the Nihilistic phenom-
enon, as Ivan Panin asserts.
The mixture OF worldly interest with
religious Bfiiliation is often unpleasantly
noticeable. Slight circumstances devel-
op the fact that attendance at a particu-
lar church, and sometimes membership
is determined by nice calcu' alton of
financial or social advantage. The at
tachment is discovered to be not faith
nor fellowship, but expectation Of pat
ronage or trade. 1t is an old device, this.
OF using the church as sort of silent
business partner. However much lucre
may be gathered in this way, it is safe to
say that no treasures are ever laid up in
heaven by such means.
Bishop Potter gives in the Critic Of
Sept Il, some account of the Toynbee
Hall. This is London institution estab-
lished by young men, mostly graduates of
the universities. at is residence, Ii
brary, dining hall, gymnasium, lavat-
ory, dormitory, salon and schco'-room
in one,' The Hall is fitted up and open
ed in the center of one of the worst and
most squalid districts Of the great metrop-
oils. The young men who live here and
carry on the Hall are trying to learn how
to benefit the wretched inhabitants Of
the slums; and they believe they can best
do it by living among them.
BY intimacy with these people, their
ideas, plane of life, point of view, habit
and temptations are learned; at the same
time the iaess, point of view, manners
and even character of the young men are
communicated, electrically as from
friend to friend, not professionally as
from tutor to pupil" In process of time
the reaction of the stronger, purer, higher
style of life on the lower becomes very
marked. "Sooner or later, through this
personal contact, at once persuasive, ed
ueatlonal and illustrative, the finer and
higher instincts, long overlaid and dor
mant, awaken and are kinded into some
thing like a sincere love for books and
pictures, for decency and self-respect, for
fairness and honor"
-Toynbee Hall, then, is an attempt to.
apply to the lowest classes in society the
principle of the Gospel announced by st.
John III the memorable text, I've shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he
is In place Of the endeayor to save men
by magic, or by dead lift, or by preach
ing alone, it undertakes to affect them by
combined social, intellectual and moral
influence. To those who believe in the
constitutional depravity Of mankind this
method will hardly commend itself Bat
to reasonable people, Of all shades of re-
ligious opinion, Toynbee Hal will appear
to be a natural and happy solution of the
most difficult problem Of civilization.
Mr. Barnum's offer to give "the last
Thousand" of half million subscription
for Foreign Missions under the auspices
of the Universalist church, should be
turned lend for end, as the lumbermen
say. If he waits to bring up the rear we
fear he will miss being in the procession.
But if he will make his the first 81 900 for
foreign and home missions he will be
more likely TO get his stock all taken.
We have already some liberal offers for
Foreign Missionary Fund. Gen, Olney
Arnold, Of Rhode Island, has offered 10
give $500 we believe, and others hay q
subscribed smaller sums Still better.
two young men have volunteered to 60
on such service. Now practical way 10
launch the great enterprise is TOR some
T.